ċonnairc[d 1] Seaḋna sain, ṫug sé strac-ḟeuċaint[n 1] ar an ḃfear nduḃ, aċt má ṫug, níor ċuir-san aon tsuim ann. Níor leig sé air go ḃfeacaiḋ sé an duine boċt. ’Nuair d’ḟeuċ Seaḋna ṫar n-ais,[d 2] ḃí an duine boċt imṫiġṫe.
Ṫiomáineadar leo. Níor laḃair aon-ne’ aco focal. Fé[d 3] ḋeireaḋ ḃíodar ag deunaṁ ar an dtiġ.[d 4] Ḃuail duine de na coṁarsanaiḃ úmpa[d 5] ⁊ ḃeannuiġ[d 4] do Ṡeaḋna.
“Dia ’s Muire duit, a Ṡeaḋna,” ar seisean. “Naċ luaṫ sa’ lá atáir tagaiġṫe a ḃail ó’n sráid, ⁊ tu ad aonar leis!”
“Ní raiḃ puinn[d 6] le deunaṁ agam,” ar seisean, ⁊ ṫug sé strac-ḟeuċaint eile ar an ḃfear nduḃ. Níor ċuir an fear duḃ aon tsuim ann, ⁊ annsain do ṫuig Seaḋna ná feacaiḋ[d 7] an ċoṁarsa é.
Ċuadar isteaċ. Ḃí an ċaṫaoir annsúd i n-aice an tínteáin ⁊ gan cor curṫa ḋi ó ḟág Seaḋna í ar maidin. Ḃí an ṁealḃóg annsúd ar croċaḋ, ar an ndul gcéadna ar a ḃfeacaiḋ[d 7] sé ar maidin í, ’nuair ḃain sé an dorm déiḋeanaċ mine aisti. D’ḟeuċ an fear duḃ orṫa, ar an gcaṫaoir ⁊ ar an mealḃóig. Annsain d’ḟeuċ sé ar Ṡeaḋna.
“Aistiriġ[d 4] í sin,” ar seisean.
Ċuaiḋ Seaḋna anonn ⁊ ċuir sé a láṁ ar ḋrom[d 8] na caṫaoireaċ.
“Ó!” ar seisean. “Tá sí ceangailte!”
“Ċuir sé an dá láiṁ uirṫi. Ṫeip air filleaḋ ná feacaḋ a ḃaint aisti.
“Aililliú!” ar seisean. “Tá sí ċoṁ daingean ⁊ tá an ċos insa’ tuairgín!”[n 2]
“Aistiriġ[d 4] an ṁealḃóg,” ars’ an fear duḃ.
Ċuaiḋ sé suas ⁊ ḃuail sé láṁ ar an mealḃóig. Ḃí sí ċoṁ ceangailte de ṫaoḃ an falla ⁊ eiḋeaḋ an ċloċ ar an lic oiḋir.
Do stad Seaḋna ⁊ ċrom sé a ċeann.
“’Seaḋ,” ar seisean. “Táim réiḋ anois munab ionann a’s riaṁ.[n 3] Ní ḟeadar[d 9] an tsaoġal ná an doṁan le ċéile cad tá le deunaṁ agam. Ní ḟeadar[d 9] ó Ċúig Árdaiḃ na Naoi ḃFionn[n 4] cad do ḋeanfad. Dá ḟeaḃas aireaċas a ḋeunfad uirṫi, tiucfaiḋ[d 4] duine éigin dem’ lom deirig aiṁḋeona, ⁊ suiḋfiḋ sé innti, ⁊ beiḋ[d 4] an dúṫáiġ[d 4] ’n-a cogaḋ ḋearg im’ṫímċeall! Mairḃeoċar ar lic mo ṫinteáin féin mé gan truaġ gan taise!——B’ḟéidir, a ḋuine uasail, go ḃféadfá-sa an easgaine ḃaint díoḃ?”
(leanfar de seo.)
TRANSLATION—(Continued).
Peg. Welcome, Kate!
Kate. That you may live, Peg. I don't say but I have first place to-night.
Peg. Indeed you have first of them all, except of little Sheila.
Kate. How could I have first of Sheila, and she always here with you?
Sheila. She will have first place of everyone now, as her sister has a young son.
Peg. Whist! you hussy. How is Nell, Kate?
Kate. She is very well, Peg, and the child is well, also; and, eh! indeed, and most certainly, Peg, he is the nicest, and the most exquisite, and the fairest child you ever saw with the eyes of your head, and I am his mother.
Peg. You! I was under the impression that Nell was his mother.
Kate. Yerra, a mountain on it for a story! Sure, so she is; but it was I that baptized him.
Peg. Allilloo! Kate of my heart within, what was the necessity for that, and he not going to death? Was not the priest there?
Kate. Ach! May God look on us! What is that I am saying? Sure, a thing not a wonder (of course), it was the priest that baptized him; but it was I that stood to him for the baptizing, myself and James. But what put it into your head he to be going to death? There are no signs of death on him, God bless him! Never you fear.
Peg. Why, you said at first that you were his mother, and then that you baptised him; and the catechism says that no person could baptise him but the priest, unless he was going to death. and no priest there.
Sheila. I don't say but that it is how the story is with Kate these times, a foot of her’s does not know what a hand of her’s will do.
Kate. I leave by will, Sheila, that you have the right; a foot of mine does not know what a hand of mine will do, and I do not myself know what a foot or a hand of mine will do. If you were to see him, Sheila, you would be very fond of him. I have so much fondness for him that I think I’ll eat him!
Gob. Allilloo! Kate, what is that you are saying? I should not wish that you would have much fondness for me, if that is the way you would do it with me.
Peg. Welcome, Gobnet! Have you seen Nora coming?
Gob. She is “to you” in the door. She was beckoning to me to wait for her; but I was afraid that I should lose some portion of that story of Seadhna.
Nora. See, now, Gobnet, it was not worth your while but to wait for me.
Peg. Welcome, Nora! It is not to be complained of for you; you have not been far behind her. Come, now, girls, move up here into the neighbourhood of the
